Insert-receiving index tabs



Dec. 7, 1965 w. F. CUNNINGHAM INSERT-RECEIVING INDEX TABS FIG. FIGZ FIG-3 F1624 15??" 15 HYS; i my United States Patent C 3,221,430 iNSERT-RECEIWNG INDEX TABS Walter F. Cunningham, Des Piaines, lll., assignor to Superior-Tahbies, Inc., Chicago, llil., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 25, 1963, Ser. No. 311,540 2 Claims. (Cl. 40-23) This invention relates in general to index tabs and more particularly to those selectively attachable to the edge portions of cards or sheets and operable to receive, retain and protect inserts bearing desired indexing symbols, letters, words or other indicia.

Protective tabs for receiving inserts have been made of relatively rigid, transparent material, but they have not been entirely satisfactory either in retaining the inserts or in respect of ease of mounting or attachment. The prior tabs have been difficult to mount accurately on the edge portion of a card, sheet of paper, or the like, and this is particularly so with those tabs having opposed depending skirt portions with adhesive on their inner surfaces for attachment to the opposite sides of the sheet or card.

A principal object of this invention is to assure maximum speed and accuracy in the mounting of an index tab on a card or sheet of paper, or the like. This is accomplished by means of a novel construction comprising an index tab with a body having depending skirts or wing portions joined together by attachment thereto of adjacent areas of one surface of a tab-attaching film or strip having a coating of pressure-sensitive adhesive on both surfaces, so that the film or strip provides an abutment or physical guide means against which a selected edge portion of the tab-receiving card or sheet may be placed to insure perfect alignment or positioning of the tab, and exposed areas of the opposite side of the adhesive-coated film or strip opposed to those attached, respectively, to said wing portions may be adhesively engaged with opposite sides of the tab-receiving card or sheet to secure the wing portions of the tab thereto.

Another important object of the invention is to facilitate such placement of the tab accurately and quickly by minimizing the likelihood of accidental Contact between the exposed areas of the adhesive coated film and simplifying the abutting of the guide means with the edge of the tab-receiving sheet. Such is accomplished by making one of the skirts or wing portions separate from the tab body and securing the same thereto by a hinge construction comprising a flexible strip adhered to the adjacent outer surfaces of both the separate wing portion and the body to facilitate folding of that depending wing portion upwardly through approximately 180 and substantially fiat against the tab body, so that the tab-attaching film or strip having pressure-sensitive adhesives on both surfaces may have one surface adhered to the then exposed surfaces of both wing portions, and a guard strip or sheet of release paper may be placed on the opposite or exposed surface of the tab-attaching strip.

With this arrangement, the release paper or guard strip tends to maintain the upwardly folded wing portion in its upper position until removed when the index tab is to be attached to a card or sheet of paper, or the like. Proper positioning of the tab thus will be greatly facilitated by the resulting separated disposition of the wing portions which will enable the median portion of the tab-attaching strip to be brought into abutting relationship to the edge of the card quickly with little likelihood of the exposed, adhesive-covered areas thereof,

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which define the inner surfaces of the wing portions, accidentally contacting either the card or each other.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

FIGURE l is an end view of the body and depending wing portions of an index tab embodying the features of the instant invention and showing one of the wing portions as separate from the body and attached thereto in depending position by a suitable hinge means;

FIGURE 2 is a View similar to FIGURE 1 of the complete tab showing the separately attached wing portion folded upwardly against the body of the tab with a tab-attaching strip secured on one side to adjacent exposed surfaces of both of the wing portions and on the other side to a guard strip of release paper;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the guard strip of release paper removed and the tab in process of being mounted on the edge portion of a tabreceiving sheet;

FIGURE 4 is a similar end view showing the index tab of FIGURE 3 mounted upon the tab-receiving sheet; and

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view of a portion of a tab-receiving sheet with an index tab embodying the present invention mounted thereon and parts of the latter broken away with a portion of an insert extending therefrom.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 11 indicates in general an index tab embodying the features of my invention which is shown in the form of an insertable tab, or one adapted to receive an insert 12 for displaying indexing symbols, letters, words, or other indicia 13 inscribed upon one or both faces thereof and for protecting such displayed indicia.

For these purposes, the index tab 11 comprises a body 14 made of a suitable transparent lm or strip, preferably preformed, as by extrusion, of cellulose, vinyl, or the like. The body 14 thus will have sufficient rigidity, as will be better understood from the following description of the manner of its use, to effectively protect any insert placed therein. In this connection, it is preferred that the opposed walls of the body 14 between which the insert is placed be spaced apart a distance equal approximately to the thickness of the material intended for use as the insert 12 and joined at their upper ends by a reversely curved portion defining a rib-like upper edge 15 to strengthen the tab structure.

While it is preferred that the tab body 14 be so formed and because the walls thereof thus may conveniently be made relatively thick to provide a substantially rigid construction, it will be appreciated that the body 14 may be formed in any other suitable manner, as of similar material in sheet form bent to the desired configuration by the application of heat and pressure, or from relatively exible sheet material folded or provided with a suitable hinge constru-ction to define the upper edge thereof. It also will be appreciated that for use with inserts, the body portion 14 of the tab must be made transparent, but that this same construction well may be employed without inserts and the indexing symbols or other indicia inscribed directly upon the inner or outer surfaces of the tab body 14. In such a case, it may not be necessary that the body 14 be transparent.

As best seen in FIGURES l, one leg or side of the body 14 terminates in a first depending wing portion 16, while the opposite leg or panel terminates adjacent the upper end of that wing portion. A second wing portion 17 is provided in the form of a strip of material similar to that from which the body 14 is made Which extends longitudinally of the tab opposite the first depending Wing portion 16 and is secured to the body of the tab by suitable hinge means 18. This hinge means 18 preferably comprises a exible strip of transparent polyester film, such as the Du Pont film marketed under the trademark Mylar,7 which is provided with a suitable coating of clear, pressure-sensitive adhesive on one surface that is secured to the adjacent marginal portions of the tab body 1d and the depending second wing portion 17.

That second Wing portion 17 therefore readily may be folded upwardly from its depending position of FIG- URE 1 through approximately l180 and substantially flat against the tab body 14, as shown in FIGURE 2. While the second wing portion 17 is in that folded position, a tab-attaching strip 19, which is preferably of the same material as the hinge strip 1S and is provided with suitable pressure-sensitive adhesive on both surfaces, is adhered to t-he adjacent exposed surfaces of both of the wing portions 16 and 17, being the normally inner surfaces of the latter, to join the same together. In the manufacture of this index tab, a guard strip 21 of a suitable polyethylene-impregnated release paper is then placed on the outer or exposed surface of the tab-attaching strip 19.

Because it is desired to market the resulting index tab in strip form and in order to facilitate rapid attachment of individual index tabs cut therefrom, it is preferred that the release paper 21 be sufliciently stiff to normally maintain the second Wing portion 17 in its folded position of FIGURE 2. While individual index tabs of varying widths may thus be constructed7 the present invention contemplates the manufacture thereof in continuous strip form, with either the individual index tabs being cut from the final strip or suitable lengths thereof being severed for packaging and sale to the consumer, who may use the same by cutting tabs of any desired width therefrom.

When a portion of such a strip or an index tab 11 is to be applied to the edge portion of a card or other tab-receiving sheet, such as that designated by reference numeral 2.2 in FIGURES 3, 4 and 5, the guard or release paper Z1 is stripped therefrom While the tab is held in the position of FIGURE 2, and the index tab is then presented to the selected edge portion of the card 22, as in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 3, with the lmedian portion of the tab attaching strip 19 between those areas of that strip which are secured, respectively, to the wing portions 16 and 17 engaged against the edge of the card. The median portion of the tab-attaching strip 19 thus functions as an abutment or physical guide means against which the selected edge portion of the tab-receiving card or sheet may be placed to insure perfect alignment or positioning of the tab. By inwardly directed pressure against the outer surfaces of the wing portions 16 and 17, the exposed areas of the tab-attaching strip 19 then may be secured to the card or tabreceiving sheet 22 to mount the index tab thereon in the manner shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.

Either before such engagement or movement of the Wing portions from their position of FIGURE 3 or after the index tab has been secured to a card or tab-receiving sheet, the selected insert 12 may be placed therein between the opposed wall portions of the body 14 and will be retained effectively by the tab and protected against bending, tearing or disfigurement. The separated disposition of the adhesive covered areas of the wing portions 16 and 17 that obtains at the time that the release paper 21 is stripped therefrom greatly facilitates the rapid and accurate mounting of the index tab, with little likelihood of the exposed adhesive-covered areas accidentally contacting either the tab-receiving card or each other. At the same time, the median portion of the tab-attaching strip 19 easily may be positioned accurately against the edge of the tab-receiving card or sheet.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages Will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction, and arrangement of the parts Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. An index tab, comprising a body having a longitudinally extending wing portion depending from one side thereof, a second Wing portion extending longitudinally of the other side of said body, hinge means attaching said second wing portion to said body to facilitate folding of said second wing portion upwardly into a position substantially at against said body, a tab-attaching strip having pressure-sensitive adhesive on both surfaces thereof with one of said surfaces adhered to the adjacent exposed surfaces of both of said wing portions When said second wing portion is folded upwardly against said body, and a guard strip of release paper adhered to the opposite surface of said tab-attaching strip while in a substantially planar position to maintain said second wing portion in folded position against said tab body.

2. An index tab, comprising a body having a longitudinally extending first wing portion depending from one side thereof, a second depending Wing portion separate from said body and disposed opposite to said first wing portion, a transparent flexible strip with pressuresensitive adhesive on one side secured to said body and said second wing portion to facilitate upward folding of the latter substantially at against said body, a transparent flexible tab-attaching strip having pressure-sensitive adhesive on both surfaces thereof with one of said surfaces adhered to the adjacent exposed surfaces of both of said wing portions when said second Wing portion is folded upwardly against said body to join said Wing portions together and to provide physical guide means against which a selected edge portion of a tab-recieving sheet may be placed to insure proper positioning of the tab on such sheet, and a guard strip of release paper adhered to the opposite surface of said tab-attaching strip while in a substantially planar position to maintain said second Wing portion in folded position against said tab body until removed when the index tab is to be mounted on the tab-receiving sheet.

References Qited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS i 1,961,079 5/1934 Pettis 40-2 2,016,259 10/1935 Schmidtz 40--16 2,507,659 5/1950 Zalkind 40-23 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

JEROME SCHNALL, Examiner. 

1. AN INDEX TAB, COMPRISING A BODY HAVING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING WING PORTION DEPENDING FROM ONE SIDE THEREOF, A SECOND WING PORTION EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID BODY, HINGE MEANS ATTACHING SAID SECOND WIND PORTION TO SAID BODY TO FACILITATE FOLDING OF SAID SECOND WING PORTION UPWARDLY INTO A POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT AGAINST SAID BODY, A TAB-ATTACHING STRIP HAVING PRESSURE-SENSITIVE ADHESIVE ON BOTH SURFACES THEREOF WITH ONE OF SAID SURFACES ADHERED TO THE ADJACENT EXPOSED SURFACES OF BOTH OF SAID WING PORTIONS WHEN SAID SECOND WING PORTION IS FOLDED UPWARDLY AGAINST SAID BODY, AND A GUARD STRIP OF RELEASE PAPER ADHERED TO THE OPPOSITE SURFACE OF SAID TAB-ATTACHING STRIP WHILE IN A SUBSTANTIALY PLANAR POSITION TO MAINTAIN SAID SECOND WING PORTION IN FOLDED POSITION AGAINST SAID TAB BODY. 